T H E W O R S T f i n a n c i a l m i s t a k e s i n t h e b i b l e and How You Can Avoid Them c h u c k b e n t l e y
2013 Crown Financial Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system with the exception of a reviewer who may quote brief passages for a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine, or e-zine without the prior written permission of Crown Financial Ministries, Inc., PO Box 740209 Atlanta GA 30374-0209. Tel 800.722.1976. www.crown.org ISBN: 978-1-56427-312-3 Unless otherwise noted, verses are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois. Used by permission. Editor: Michael J. Dowling (www.michaeljdowling.com) Cover Design: Sean Allen Interior Art and Design: Sean Allen This book contains quotes from various individuals and references to a broad range of source materials. Any such mentions should not be viewed as an endorsement of the overall theological or political views of any particular person, nor (unless otherwise noted) as a recommendation of any particular book, article or website.
THE WORST financial mistakes in the bible and How You Can Avoid Them chuck bentley
God s Wisdom Heed the Warnings And Enjoy the Blessings Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm. Proverbs 1:29-33
Acknowledgements Ann Wagner Bentley You once asked me how I thought I was going to be the CEO of a global ministry, a husband, a dad and still manage to find the time to write another book. Well now you know! You are the secret ingredient to making it all happen. Thank you, Ann, for all the ways you serve our family and me yet still manage to shape and edit my manuscripts. May you derive eternal joy by how God chooses to use this book. Dr. Paul Shin Nan Hee Park Your encouragement to share this message more broadly when I delivered my talk at the Asia Pacific Reunion in Thailand caused me to seriously consider writing the book. Thank you and the Crown Korea team for all of your hard work and support. Heather Hayes Shelia Thompson You insisted on getting this book into print. Thank you for believing in this project and working so hard to make it possible. Sean Allen Your keen talent to give a book its personality and enhance its likelihood of being read is a real blessing to the reader. May you receive due credit for your artistic enhancements of this entire project. Michael J. Dowling Thank you for the professional editing and technical input on the manuscript. You are a joy to work with. I hope other writers will seek your services and godly advice. Chuck Thompson Thank you for helping me to research the topic and provide valuable insight. You encouraged me at time when the deadline looked impossible to meet.
C ontents Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Seeking the Best the World Has to Offer Hidden Greed Embezzling God s Property Refusing to Help When Help Is Needed Coveting What Others Have Excessive Debt Materialism Funding Disobedience Robbing God Compromising Our Mission Storing Up Treasures on Earth Self-Indulgence Fearful Stewardship Protecting Job Security Demanding Money from God Losing Your Soul Financial Hypocrisy Exchanging True Riches for Faux Riches Foolish Procrastination 8 10 16 22 30 36 42 48 56 64 70 76 82 88 96 104 112 118 126 134
The Worst Financial Mistakes in the Bible Introduction M ost of us tend to identify more with the heroes and heroines of the Bible than with the characters who made the big mistakes. For example, we naturally gravitate to David more than to Saul, to Sarah more than to Hagar, and certainly to the Apostle John more than to the disciple Judas. Personally, I much prefer to read about Peter s boldness on the day of Pentecost than about his humiliating denial of Christ before the crucifixion. But mistakes, failures, and defeats are a part of the normal human experience. We can learn many valuable lessons from studying the mistakes of others and from looking honestly at our own. As Christians, we can revisit our failures without fear or shame, because we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) For many years I ve enjoyed the privilege of teaching others about biblical financial principles and practices. I realized recently, however, that I ve seldom considered the mistakes made by people in the Bible. That itself is a mistake, because we often can learn as much or more from failures as from successes. This is certainly true when it comes to understanding God s financial principles. In Proverbs, the positive example of the frugal saver and the negative example of the poverty-stricken sluggard are both valuable for gaining wisdom. In these pages, I highlight my list of the worst financial mistakes recorded in the Bible. They re presented chronologically so they correlate with the 8
INTRODUCTION Getting the Most from The Worst Financial Mistakes in the Bible referenced Biblical passages. The Bible identifies many more financial mistakes than I have addressed, and I encourage you to look for them and learn from them. When I started doing research for this book, I expected to find that most financial mistakes in the Bible were due to poor money-management practices. But I was surprised to see how few stories revolved around the improper handling of debt, savings, investing, planning for the future, and other such topics. The primary culprit was not wrong practices but wrong priorities. The people of the Bible who made the biggest financial mistakes had the wrong heart attitudes and the wrong motives. Their problems started when they abandoned the Word of God and bought into the wisdom of the world. The best way to avoid the financial mistakes chronicled in these pages is to undergo a radical transformation of your beliefs about money. I m talking about a complete change of heart! Those who want to reap the eternal dividends God promises to the faithful must follow the advice the Apostle Paul gives in Romans 12:2: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. To get the most from this book, I suggest that you read only one chapter per day or per week. Take time to meditate on the truths God has for you. Begin each session with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the wisdom of the lesson. Next, read the entire Biblical passage referenced at the beginning of each chapter. Finally, read the lesson and complete the practical application. The lessons are designed to stimulate rich conversations about some of the most common financial mistakes and how to avoid them. They are an excellent resource for small-group discussion. I pray that God will powerfully use this book in your life to redeem your past financial mistakes and conform your future financial decisions to his good, pleasing and perfect will. Chuck Bentley June 2013 9
The Worst Financial Mistakes in the Bible 1chapter Seeking the Best the World Has to Offer Surrender Our Desires to Always Have the Best Genesis 13:1-13 10
CHAPTER 1 Seeking the Best the World Has to Offer F rom the very beginning, Satan has tempted man with the desire to have the best the world has to offer. Selfish pride in our possessions is a common financial mistake. Like every issue with pride, it is easy to recognize in others, but very hard to see in ourselves. We can learn a great deal from the story of Abram s nephew, Lot, who foolishly chose for himself the best the world had to offer. Genesis 13:1-9 tells us that Abram and Lot went up together to a place between Bethel and Ai, but the land would not support all of their flocks, herds, and tents, so quarreling arose between their herders. Abram, who was about seventy-five years old at the time, had the wisdom to recognize that these quarrels would damage his relationship with his nephew, whom he loved. Both men were already very wealthy, but only Abram valued their relationship more than money. To end their conflict, Abram graciously allowed Lot to choose which land he preferred. The Choice Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord. (Genesis 13:10-13) Thinking only of himself and his flocks, Lot chose the well-watered land. That may have been a wise economic choice from a worldly standpoint, because flocks will die without water, but it was an unwise and selfish choice in God s economy. Lot not only failed to respect his uncle, who was his elder, but he ignored the risks of living close to Sodom, which the Bible 11
The Worst Financial Mistakes in the Bible describes as a population of wicked people those sinning greatly against the Lord. The Consequences This decision had disastrous results for Lot. As we learn in Genesis 14, Sodom and Gomorrah are later invaded; King Kedorlaomer and a contingent of other kings seize Lot and all of his possessions. Lot is now a captive who ultimately must be rescued by his Uncle Abram. In Genesis 19, we read that Lot must be rescued again, this time by angels as Sodom is being destroyed, and his wife loses her life in the process. Abram, on the other hand, was blessed by God: The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. (Genesis 13:14-17) Lot chose independently of God to possess the best land, but in a very short time he lost it. Abram honored God by giving up the best land, and God ultimately returned all the land to him as an eternal possession. Choosing the Best for Ourselves We naturally want the best for ourselves, and marketers around the world know how to exploit this common human tendency. They use phrases like you deserve the best to help us justify our carnal appetites. They push the benefits of more, bigger, better, or faster in advertisements to create discontent with our present possessions or circumstances. A Dallas businessman who worked very hard to climb the social status ladder was 12
CHAPTER 1 Seeking the Best the World Has to Offer fond of saying, I was born desiring the deluxe package for my life. Aren t we all! Young North Korean leader Kim Jung Un is responsible for the misery and suffering of 22 million people. Most citizens in his country have barely enough food to survive; yet he draws on an estimated personal net worth of more than $5 billion dollars to feed his voracious appetite for luxuries. As an example of his extravagance, he flew his favorite retired NBA star to his country from the United States, simply to gratify his fanatic love of basketball. He apparently learned the art of self-gratification from his late father, who reportedly added $800,000 worth of the world s best liquor every year to his personal stockpile. How to Avoid the Trap of Prideful Selfishness When we see others choosing the best for themselves, we are quick to label them as selfish. But it s much more difficult to notice this same tendency in ourselves. What lessons can we learn from scripture that will help us avoid Lot s fatal mistake? First, we can follow the advice of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Abram displayed this type of generosity toward Lot when he surrendered his rights to the best land. He did so again when he risked his life to fight for his nephew s freedom. We know from the book of Acts that this generous attitude was a hallmark of the early Church. Second, we can remember that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who over the centuries have been willing to accept the loss of earthly possessions for the sake of enduring gain. 13
The Worst Financial Mistakes in the Bible You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. (Hebrews 10:34-35) We possess a faith this is much more precious than gold. (1 Peter 1:7) Even though this invaluable spiritual possession is unseen, we have confidence that it is real and lasting. Having the best is not wrong. In fact, scripture tells us in Proverbs 24:3-4, By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. The problem arises when we want the best for ourselves for selfish reasons. Ultimately, it s an issue of the motives of our heart, not simply a matter of possessions. Jesus admonishes us to be willing to give up earthly gratification for heavenly rewards in Luke 14:8-11: When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, Give this person your seat. Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, Friend, move up to a better place. Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Our natural desire is to want possessions, honor, and other things for our glory or security or pleasure. God wants us to put our love for him first and trust him to provide us what we need. 14
CHAPTER 1 Seeking the Best the World Has to Offer 1 chapter APPLICATION As long as we are in this world, we will be tempted to gratify our worldly appetites by means of selfish financial choices. To overcome these temptations, we must: Learn to identify the places where we are most vulnerable Surrender our desire to always have the best. Ask others we trust to help hold us accountable Wait 30 days before making a major purchase to thwart the desire for instant gratification Quickly repent of jealousy when others obtain what we would like to have Nurture our devotion to God, so that our knowledge of his love and our confidence in his promises fully satisfy all of our longings. If we practice these principles, we will reap daily contentment and an eternal inheritance. A graphic portrayal of these truths is found in the short film Abram s Reward, part of the God Provides series, available from Crown (www.crown.org). 15